Situated on a derelict warp of West Market Street, the Diamond Grille looks like a Depression-era blunder. Step inside and you encounter the closest thing to "Mad Men" in Akron, a throwback to a pre-credit-card era when men wore fedoras and French cuffs, women wore mink and pearls, and everyone ordered steaks thick and rare.

Our friendly server declared that the Diamond has been in the hands of the same family for 76 years; the earliest date we could trace to the current ownership was 1942, still a most respectable tenure. This is a restaurant that trades on a well-deserved reputation for classic cocktails, steaks and seafood -- and trust. Not enough cash? Just leave your business card and get billed in the mail. It's also a favorite haunt of pro golfers, including Tiger Woods, when a World Golf Championships tournament swings through Akron in August.

The Boston strip and porterhouse steaks, exquisitely marbled prime beef aged on the premises, are stars among the meat selections, which also include lamb chops, pork chops and chicken. Among the seafood dishes, the grouper, which can be ordered charbroiled, pan-fried or blackened, is a standout.

You won't go wrong with a side of home fries, a generous plate of thin rounds with crisps shell over creamy interiors. Or the Willie Fries, a boldly seasoned tangle of shoestring potatoes and onions created years ago by a long-gone chef. Entrees include a slightly updated version of the classic steakhouse dinner salad and a basket of bread.

In this age when celebrity chefs smother steaks with foie gras and stuff lobsters with short ribs, the Diamond is an unapologetic anachronism. But that's part of its charm. Why tamper with decades of success?

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